Instant Social Proof of the Vampire
Wherein your humble rhino is again approached by a stranger bearing great tidings I hate to say that skepticism is perhaps the most useful tool you have in your writer's toolbox, but it will certainly save you from a lot of heartache. Skepticism about one's own brilliance, for example, helps develop the necessary, detached, critical eye needed to edit. Skepticism about a character's motivations, their actions, their words, and their taste in romantic partners can enrich the page ("would Caroline really fall so hard for a sardine speculator? Where's that red pencil...") And then of course, skepticism that the lovely, grand, flattering, heart-swelling email that landed in your inbox is your ticket to fame, fortune, and accolades. While mucking out the Spam folder, I turned over this gem. Please note that the book "Amanda" is fluttering over is not available for sale, has not been available for at least a decade, and has not actually sold in that in...
